The TRUTH about Sports

Well, it’s a rematch from a few years back and everyone’s been sucking Eli Manning’s you know what since he’s won all his games on the road and since he beat Tom Brady and his Pats in the regular season and it the previous Superbowl. Before I tell you who I know is going to win, I want to put to rest one issue. That being whether or not Eli has passed Peyton Manning on who the better quarterback is. Let me tell you something, Peyton is hands down the best quarterback in the family. If Peyton Manning had the defense that Eli Manning had, Peyton would have won 4 Superbowls. Don’t come at me with Dwight Freeney. The Giants have had the best front 4 in the league for at least 4 years. They have a running game which Peyton never had. OK, time to move on to the big game. Picking this one is easy. The rule is that if you beat a team in the regular season, you lose to them in the playoffs. Hence, the Pats will take this. Look for G-men to be overconfident and get lit up early by Tom and his merry band of men. I know that Pats have a worse defense but their running game has picked up recently and we all know that Tom Brady is, well, Tom Brady. Not that much insight in this article but I’m telling you, take the Pats. Watch the game at home or even head out to the game. Surprisingly enough, it’s not sold out.

Alright, enough is enough. I know that Chad Johnson/Ochocinco is a diva. He’s probably on the downside of his career and will never put up big numbers like he did in his early days with the Bengals. But give the kid a break. His tweet of being in awe after “seeing” Tom Brady put up gaudy numbers over the weekend isn’t as bad as everyone is making it to be. Worst critic has been ex-Patriot now analyst Teddy Bruschi for ripping Chad. Sometimes, it seems that these announcers/ex-players miss being in the limelight and will do/say anything to get back into it. I’m not saying that Chad is innocent, but geez. Nobody on the Patriots has criticized him since the day he signed with them. I’m sure Ocho expected to get more than 1 reception, especially in a game where his QB threw for over 500 yards. Unfortunately, the Pats have a tough schedule this year with games against the Jets, Philly, San Diego, and Pittsburgh. I actually hope that Chad has a similar type season as Randy Moss did his first year with the Pats. Don’t think it will happen but who knows? At the very least, give the guy a chance to be part of the team.

The Titans finally reached a deal with holdout superstar running back Chris mutha truckin Johnson. Let me preface this by saying that I like Johnson. He plays hard and deserves every penny he got. As for the Titans, you got the guy for 2 more years. Chances are the next two are gonna be his peak and then it’s downhill. There’s no way he sits out for more than a couple of games. The Titans were the worst team in their division before the holdout and I still think they’re the worst now. Maybe a close call with the Jags but still. They don’t have a quarterback. They don’t have any wide receivers. They’re defense isn’t the same since the end of the Vandenbosh-Haynesworth era. Take a look at the last few Superbowl teams and winners: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots… What do these teams have in common other than elite quarterbacks, defenses, and no diva wide receivers… NO BIG NAME RUNNING BACKS… I don’t think the Titans led by Matt Hasselbeck are gonna buck the trend. If I’m a Titans fan, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of Jake Locker on the field…

I don’t know what pleases me more, Brett Favre throwing pick after pick or the demise of the San Diego Chargers. Today, the Chargers almost did the unthinkable…turn their season around. Down 23-6 in the fourth quarter, they scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, scored again, got the ball back and then missed a 50+ yard field goal to send the game into overtime. It seems like they always play well in the fourth quarter. This game shouldn’t have been that close in the first play. The Chargers got lucky by recovering the onside kick. The Pats weren’t ready for it and got caught napping. Instead of newly acquired kicker Kris Brown kicking a 45 yard field goal, they got nailed with a false start which pushed them back 5 yards. The kick, well it went off the post. But I can’t blame the kicker. The Chargers’ offense was flowing, finally, in the 4th quarter. Their last drive started at New England 48. They had 3 timeouts left. And instead of marching and trying to score a TD, they only got one first down and set their kicker up for a sure-fire miss. I hate the Chargers. They’re a bunch of pre-madonnas. They deserve to be at the bottom of the AFC West. This football season’s been full of surprises, like the Browns pounding the Saints in New Orleans or the Oakland Raiders having a better records than the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout all this turmoil, we can always count on the San Diego Chargers choking. And if you enjoyed it this week, you’re gonna love it when the Tennessee Titans come into town next week to lay one on the Chargers. Ready to witness the best running back in the league, Chris Johsnon, run wild on them .

Randy Moss was traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings. GREAT trade for the Vikings. With Sidney Rice out, the Vikings were struggling with their passing game. We all know Brett Favre has had a huge crush on Randy. Now he has him. Now he has to get the ball to him or else face the same wrath that Daunte Culpepper, Tom Brady and Jamarcus Russell felt when they didn’t get the ball to him. Make no mistake that Randy Moss is a diva. But he will make the Vikings INSTANT superbowl favorites in the NFC. Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson… WOW!

As for the New England Patriots, a 3rd round pick? They could’ve gotten more but don’t think that this wasn’t done for a purpose. Belichek traded Moss just in time for the Vikings’ Monday Night showdown with the Jets. He basically traded Moss for a Jets loss. His offense will suffer though. The Pats dismal running game will suffer, as will Wes Welkers’ numbers. Moss is one of the players you have to scheme your defense around. Moss was too big for the Pats and this move is gonna hurt them in the long run. Moss still has some years left in him and if I was Tom Brady, I’d be pissed. I don’t want to say they’re throwing the towel in but after trading away pass-rusher deluxe Richard Seymour last year, I’m not sure where this organization is headed.

Now that we’re back on the right track, 6-3 on the season, time to get down to business. After perusing through this week’s lines, I’ve got the winner for you: NY Jets at the New England Patriots -3. After what the Pats have been doing this season, they’ve proven to me that they still have some fight in them. With all of the history between these two clubs, NO WAY Bill Belichick will let his team lose this game in Foxborough, on a Thursday night in front of a national audience to his rival Eric Mangini and his fellow Jets. As for the Jets, they’ve become the poster child for inconsistency. I’m not saying Brett Favre is to blame, but hasn’t inconsistency followed him throughout his career. They’ve lost to the Raiders, beat the Bills in Buffalo, lost to Chargers, beat the Chiefs. Oh, and most importantly, already lost to the Patriots earlier in the season at home. You tell me who you like? Or shut your mouth, listen to the boss, and e Enjoy your winnings…

Technically, 5-3 on the season isn’t bad. It just sucks when you start off 5-0 and have a 3-week slide. But rest assure my gambling friends, things are about to change. I’m not gonna try to outhink it, not going for a sexy pick either. My pick this week comes from an oldie but a goodie. They started the season of with a couple of big injuries but have slowly gelled into contenders and are in a three way tie for first in their division. Buffalo Bills -3 at the New England Patriots; that’s the game. Take the Pats, take the points. I’m pretty sure New England’s not going to lose at home with the division on the line. The second half of the season starts here. They still have the best WR in the league and possibly the best home field advantage too. Hopefully the streak stops/starts here.

So, New England Patriots STRONG Safety Rodney Harrison is calling Miami Dolphins’ RB Ricky Williams dirty. The reason: apparently Williams threw a nasty block at the legs of linebacker Mike Vrabel. You guys don’t know this but Rudney is also the team lawyer. It’s ironic that Harrison is bitching about cheap hits, the same Rodney Harrison that was voted by his peers as the leagues dirtiest player in 2004 and 2006. Oh yeah, and again in 2008 by the coaches. That makes him the current champ… So now that it sucks being a Patriot, Mr. Harrison Esq. has decided to start bitching about cheap hits to take the attention away from that other thing…what was that again… oh yeah, winning. How did that old saying go again, oh yeah… people in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks… It’s gonna be a long year buddy. You’re lucky Al Davis snagged the “bitch of the week” spot.

What a turn of events!!! I’ll get right to it: opening game of the season, the New England Patriots hosting the Kansas City Chiefs, 1st quarter, no score, Tom Brady steps up to make a throw to Randy Moss when Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, already on the ground, lunges forward at Brady’s knee; the result, torn ACL, out of the season (Brady that is). This team just went from Superbowl favorites to “let’s hope we make the playoffs.” WOW!!! I don’t know what else there is to say. Sure they still beat the Chiefs, which actually shows how pathetic my Chiefs are, but is backup starter Matt Cassel the answer for the Pats? Cassel hasn’t started a game since he was in high school, though he did a decent job managing the game Sunday. Now I wanna see the “genius” Bill Belichik work some of his magic. For years, I’ve been hearing how he’s the best coach in the league. Let’s see what he’s gonna whip up for the rest of the season. Is that Daunte Culpepper’s phone I hear ringing? Don’t forget, in 2004 Culpepper threw for 39 tds, with a third of those going to Moss. Maybe Culpepper’s a stretch, but I’m not sure Cassel can handle this. Looks like the race in the AFC is wide open, ready for the pickin’s. I know there’s one team that’s smiling right now. Ummm, Steelers/Colts, please step up and take your spot at the head of the class.

The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed the Jacksonville Jaguars into their house on Saturday. They showered the Jaguars with gifts all evening, to make them feel welcome of course. A fumble, three interceptions, and eventually the game, 31-29. Luckily, I picked the Steelers and the points (+2.5) so technically I am a genius. As for the Steelers, is Big Ben still the man? Did they lose because of the absence of William Parker? I don’t know. What I do know is that coach Mike Tomlin has some work to do in the off-season. The Jags’ season, on the other hand, will come to an end next week when they play the unbeaten New England Patriots. Until then, enjoy the victory fellas, because in about 7 days, you will not only be on your way to Tahiti (or wherever) but you will have a worse draft pick than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now who’s the real loser, huh?!, huh?!